Jean-Kevin Augustin hasn’t played a single game for Leeds United after signing.

The Frenchman joined on loan in the final week of the January transfer window, and despite the Whites playing twice since he’s arrived, the 22-year-old is yet to even make the bench for the Yorkshire club.

So, why is this? Well, Marcelo Bielsa has said himself that his fitness isn’t quite up to standard yet, but fortunately, the Yorkshire club have wasted very little time when trying to tackle that issue.

What’s been said then?

As always, Phil Hay was the man providing insight into Leeds United.

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The journalist was talking about Augustin’s fitness, and he stated that he went to Thorp Arch on the day the 22-year-old signed, and he saw him doing one thing.

“The things that Bielsa puts the greatest weight on are your body fat levels and the weight, and the targets you have for all that. Also the ability to do the running sessions that he asks of you,” Hay said (The Phil Hay Show 7/2/20 14:20).

“When I went up to Thorp Arch on the Monday when he signed the first thing he was doing was running around and around the track that Bielsa had installed at Thorp Arch, and it was very much a case of welcome to Bielsa’s Leeds.”

Good to see

While fans have been frustrated by Bielsa’s choice to leave Augustin out so far, he’s explained his reasoning quite well.

The Argentine has stated that his fitness isn’t up to scratch, and Graham Smyth has also commented on the fact that a few supporters said he was fat after his U23 performance on Monday.

Fortunately, Leeds are wasting no time in tackling the issue as they made him continuously run around the specially-made 1km running track that Bielsa had installed last summer.

Hopefully, Augustin is fit enough to play sooner rather than later.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa may have just handed one Leeds youngster a massive lifeline.

Sheffield Wednesday’s season has taken a turn for the worst as the Owls sit six points outside of the playoff zone with just one win in nine to their name.

Garry Monk has chopped and changed his side perpetually, especially at the back which had previously been his foundation to success but in most part, this has been enforced due to injuries.

Liam Palmer, Morgan Fox and Moses Odubajo have all faced time on the sidelines since the turn of the year, resulting in a constant carousel of personnel.

Last weekend, commanding centre-back Dominic Iorfa was forced to play right-back whilst the likes of Tom Lees and Julian Borner have been in and out of the side for months.

If Monk can’t decide who should play at the back, then there should be no harm in giving an opportunity to David Bates, the rarely-seen Hamburg loanee.

The Scotsman joined the club in the summer under caretaker Lee Bullen and has only been able to feature in one Carabao Cup game all season, keeping a clean sheet against Rotherham United.

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He arrived at Hillsborough with high acclaim, he’s been regarded as the Ginger [Sergio] Ramos by Rangers fans and has even been compared to Bayern Munich powerhouse Niklas Sule by the Bundesliga official website.

Bates’ former teammate Kenny Miller described him as a “great lad who works very, very hard. He’s a good defender, very quick, strong. If he gets the nod, I’m sure he won’t let anyone down.”

In the Bundesliga 2 last season, the 23-year-old won an average of 3.7 aerial duels, recorded 1.4 tackles and 4.8 clearances per game as well as an 82.8% passing success rate, via WhoScored.

This would suggest that he’s more than capable of featuring for the Owls, but we’ll never know until he’s handed a chance.

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The 6 foot 4 colossus hasn’t even been named in a matchday squad since Monk’s second game in charge either.

Maybe it is time to give him this opportunity, especially if the 40-year-old Wednesday boss is going to continue to chop and change his defence around – they have only kept two clean sheets in their last eight league outings, after all.

While in other news, Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk issues response to boo boys…

Leeds United’s January additions haven’t had too much of an impact on the Whites’ season.

Jean-Kevin Augustin has played just 49 minutes since joining last month, while Ian Poveda and Elia Caprile are still awaiting their debuts.

United did exactly what they wanted to do in January as we were told at the start of the window that they wanted a striker, a winger and a goalkeeper, and that’s exactly what they got.

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However, there is an argument to be made that they needed another player through the door, and Phil Hay believes that they made a mistake.

What’s been said then?

The journalist was talking about Leeds’ midfield on the latest edition of The Phil Hay Show.

“I do think that it was a mistake not to sign another midfielder in January, it’s not necessarily a mistake that will cost them the season, but we’ll see in May,” he said (The Phil Hay Show 20/2/20 9:40).

“It did look like a fairly obvious area if Forshaw was absent, which he now is, for bringing somebody in and bringing in a bit more depth.

“I kind of thought that they were short of options even when Forshaw was fit, and they certainly look short of options without him.”

Spot on

It’s hard to argue that Hay isn’t right about this.

At the moment Leeds have very few fit senior central midfielders, and it could even be argued that they only have Mateusz Klich who is 100 per cent suited to that role.

Stuart Dallas has spent most of his career on the flanks, while Pablo Hernandez is seemingly more comfortable on the wing.

Bringing in a new player wouldn’t have only strengthened United’s depth, but it would have allowed Dallas and Hernandez to move back to the spots they’re more effective in.

In other news, Leeds’ January U-turn could prove decisive in the coming weeks.

A number of Hibernian supporters hope that Rangers will sign on-loan striker Florian Kamberi permanently given the form shown by Greg Docherty, who made a loan move in the opposite direction at the end of January.

Kamberi had scored eight goals in 27 matches for the Easter Road club prior to sealing a loan switch to Ibrox last month and he opened his scoring account for Rangers in Sunday’s draw at St Johnstone, also setting up Joe Aribo for his goal at McDiarmid Park. However, the 24-year-old has yet to start a match for Steven Gerrard’s side.

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Docherty had gone more than five months without a first team appearance at Ibrox before joining Hibernian on loan but has started well under Jack Ross, scoring once and setting up three goals in the  recent Scottish Cup win over BSC Glasgow as well as netting in the win over Kilmarnock and setting up Christian Doidge’s goal in the weekend draw against Livingston.

These Hibs fans on Twitter are hoping that a permanent swap deal can be arranged whereby Kamberi stays at Ibrox and the Edinburgh outfit hold on to Docherty:

Hibs fans, would you be happy to see Kamberi leave altogether if it means signing Docherty permanently? Comment below with your views!

According to The Evening Standard, Liverpool are “set to poach” Manchester City physio, Steve Lilley.

What’s the word?

The Merseyside club appear to be undergoing a restructuring of the medical staff, with head of medical services, Andy Massey, set to be replaced by current Arsenal doctor, Gary O’Driscoll, next month.

And now, with Reds physio Richie Partridge leaving the club in March to join up with the Qatar national team, The Evening Standard claim the Anfield side are moving swiftly to get a replacement in.

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The report suggests that Lilley, who has also previously worked for fellow Premier League side Norwich, is set to be lured to Liverpool.

More misery

Just when City thought things couldn’t get any worse.

Hot on the heels of the Etihad side being thrown out of the Champions League for the next two years, Liverpool are looking to inflict more pain and suffering on the current Premier League champions.

Pep Guardiola of course has already seen some major disruption to his backroom staff this season with the loss of assistant coach, Mikel Arteta, to rivals Arsenal.

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And now, losing their physio to the team they are directly competing against at the summit of English football, would be another bitter pill to swallow. Jurgen Klopp’s side are simply being ruthless and pressing home their advantage this season.

Whilst they may not be players, members of the backroom staff can play a pivotal role in the day-to-day running of things and keeping spirits high. If the Reds can manage to lure Lilley to Anfield, then they would be under-lining their status as top dogs right now.

Meanwhile, Liverpool can save millions by giving this academy youngster a proper chance.

Tottenham Hotspur’s season has hit crisis point in March and talkSPORT’s Danny Kelly has hit the nail on the head with his remarks this weekend.

What’s he said?

Jose Mourinho’s side were beaten in a five-goal thriller by Wolves on Sunday, making it three successive defeats – but the wider picture is that they are now five points from the top four and have it all to do in Germany as RB Leipzig carry an away goal in their Champions League tie.

Speaking on Simon Jordan’s Final Word after the match, Kelly slammed several key figures ranging from chairman Daniel Levy, former boss Mauricio Pochettino and their current Portuguese chief.

He said:

“The barometer – and there’s no other word for it now – the mess that Spurs have got themselves into and I include Daniel Levy in that, Pochettino to some extent for his ridiculous comments before the Champions League final that he might quit if they won it and subsequently the panic to get Jose Mourinho in there.

“Spurs were in the Champions League final nine months ago. Think about Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid – the kind of teams that make the Champions League final. Today [Sunday 1st March], they started with two players who started in Madrid – Harry Winks and Dele Alli.

“So the team has through injury, departures, and strange selections been absolutely blown up. Whether by circumstance or by choice of management – you have a situation where Wolves’ front two, [Diogo] Jota and [Raul] Jimenez are as good as anybody away from Liverpool’s as of right now and he [Jose Mourinho] chooses to leave out his most experienced defenders, sling Eric Dier whose form since his illness just makes him look like he isn’t a professional footballer anymore, against [Japhet] Tanganga who’s trying to make his way. I don’t know what he’s thinking of here.

“I tell you what he’s thinking of actually – I’m gonna say it and he can sue me if he wants – he’s thinking I’ll keep all these fresh for Norwich during the week because I need to win a trophy here and the FA Cup is my best route to it.”

Amounting issues

Spurs’ troubles just don’t seem to be ending anytime soon, which is surprising considering they had been unbeaten in seven matches until their European first-leg last month.

Kelly is right to blame Levy – his lack of investment has contributed to their downfall substantially, and potentially most of all. Yes, he sanctioned moves for Gedson Fernandes and Steven Bergwijn, but it wasn’t enough – they needed that backup striker.

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Heung-min Son joining Harry Kane on the treatment table has shown just how poor a decision that has been.

Pochettino’s comments before the UCL final were simply baffling too as if that was going to motivate players in any form – “here guys, win this and I’m leaving” is not a good look at all.

Meanwhile, Mourinho has hardly helped himself with his chopping and changing of team selection and tactics, and he could probably be braver in selecting teenager Troy Parrott as at least he’s an out-and-out striker and not a midfielder or winger playing as a makeshift centre-forward.

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

And in other news, Spurs witness what they have been desperate to see for first time in 85 days…

Growing up in Edo, Nigeria, Odion Ighalo had a dream. It was a simple one too – to play football for Manchester United.

Remarkably, he has achieved that ambition. Coming via Norway, Italy, Spain, China and Watford, it’s not your usual career path but Ighalo is now very much part of the furniture at Carrington.

He has settled into life at Old Trafford with aplomb, even if at first glance it looked like a peculiar signing.

United are renowned for making hefty expensive acquisitions. The very fact they broke the record paid for a defender to land Harry Maguire is fine evidence of that. The £89m addition of Paul Pogba is another example.

Yet, here was Ighalo, arriving for a loan fee of just £3m after plying his trade in the Chinese Super League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men needed attacking cover for Marcus Rashford but this was certainly an unorthodox way of going about it from Ed Woodward.

However, despite bucking a trend, it’s already beginning to become somewhat of a masterclass from United’s executive vice-chairman.

That’s if you compare it to one of the biggest earners still on the books of Manchester United – Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean is a classy player on his day, registering 24 Premier League goals for Arsenal in one season but his move from the Gunners which essentially cost £35m (the price United valued Henrikh Mkhitaryan at) has been nothing short of a disaster. On £350k a week, he’s scored just five times in 45 outings and is now out on loan at Inter Milan. Once again, he’s flopped.

Sanchez has scored just once in Italy all season and is now due back in England in the summer. However, would United not benefit from a permanent deal for Ighalo more? It’s hard to tell, but the answer should be yes.

Although they possess no option to sign the Nigerian at the end of his loan, the financial power and the lure of United would surely be enough to bring him back.

If you compare the two, there are some stark differences. For a start, Ighalo is on £250k less than Alexis and has already started producing at a better rate.

Only on temporary terms, the 35-capped striker has found the back of the net on just two fewer occasions despite only being there for a matter of weeks. The fact he’s scored a goal every 77 minutes is damning compared to Sanchez.

The Chile international has been extremely poor in front of goal, taking 556 minutes at a time to beat the goalkeeper. Considering his wage and price tag, it’s seriously concerning.

Ighalo’s signing, however, has proven to Woodward that sometimes you don’t need to spend a considerable sum to find a good player. His wage is still colossal but the decision to bring him in has proven to be a piece of genius compared to previous failings in Manchester.

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Whether this causes a major policy shift at United remains to be seen, but it’s surely worth evaluating by the club’s chief operators.

Meanwhile, United’s pursuit of a £34m-rated star is a THROWBACK to the SAF era…

West Brom fans are now full of fear after the EFL took the decision to postpone all league matches until the beginning of April.They are rightly concerned that those games may not take place at all, as that would rule out the prospect of promotion while also having another long-term implication.The deal to sign Matheus Pereira on a permanent basis has been thrust into doubt. The Baggies have a deal in place to sign the on-loan Sporting player if he passed 30 appearances of 45 minutes or more, and he currently sits on 30.That means the midfielder only needs to complete another half of football to secure a permanent move to the Hawthorns, but with that now in potential doubt fans have voiced their frustration.

It would be a remarkable sequence of events if the Baggies were denied the chance to sign him, and although they could still bid for the 23-year-old there is a risk that other clubs might register interest in the Brazilian.

After all, he has proved to be the most creative player in the Championship with 12 assists this term, while his six goals also underline the varying dangers he possesses.

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Some fans think this unexpected twist is typical of the club, though if they miss out on promotion due to latest events then supporter uproar would likely be a whole lot louder than it is currently.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all of these obscure West Brom players…

In other news, Charlie Austin has made a public call to the EFL over recent events…

Carlo Ancelotti could look to make several changes to his Everton squad in the summer, and according to Gazzetta Dello Sport the Toffees are interested in signing Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The 21-year-old goalkeeper is very highly-rated and could reportedly turn down a contract at Milan, meaning he’d have only a year left on his contract by the summer.

That would likely increase interest in him from clubs around Europe, though the factor of his compatriot Ancelotti being at the club could make him more likely to join Everton, particularly given the Everton boss’ status at Milan.

Jordan Pickford would be affected by such a decision but after making mistakes against Manchester United and Newcastle since Ancelotti took over it would be understandable if the Italian boss was keen to upgrade that area.

Everton certainly have the finances to pull off a deal and could be able to lure Donnarumma to Merseyside if they offer him an enticing contract, though other clubs could look to hijack any possible deal.

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Chelsea and Liverpool are also believed to be interested in the shot-stopper, and given Frank Lamaprd has recently dropped first-choice Kepa Arrizabalaga there could be movement from them.

As a result, a number of Toffees’ supporters believe this transfer is not realistic for the club currently, though they would be pleasantly surprised if Marcel Brands and co. somehow managed to pull it off.

Did he really play for us?! No Everton fan has managed to name all of these obscure Toffees players….

Even if the Goodison Park outfit fail to bring in the keeper it should be treated as a positive that they are identifying targets who could take the club to the next level.

Elsewhere, Duncan Ferguson has sent an encouraging message to Everton fans over recent days…

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting on Twitter after a report by Foot Mercato, via Sport Witness, suggested that Spurs manager Jose Mourinho and chairman Daniel Levy disagree over the future of midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The report by the French media outlet says that the 23-year-old’s future at the north London outfit may be in doubt because of Mourinho, who of course publicly criticised the Frenchman following the draw against Burnley at Turf Moor at the beginning of March.

Paris Saint-Germain are said to be keen on the former Lyon player according to Foot Mercato, but they may face a battle with not only another club keen in Barcelona, but also with Levy.

The report says that the chairman believes Ndombele can still have a big future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium despite what has been a tough debut campaign, having cost £53.8m less than 12 months ago.

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While there are a couple of Spurs supporters who have taken the side of Levy – something that probably doesn’t happen too often – the majority understandably are backing their experienced manager instead.

Here is a selection of the reaction…

In other Tottenham news, Spurs fans have identified the 6 ft 4 colossus they want if Harry Kane leaves the club…